Mack Apart
by Aiden Ravelle
Summary: Mack deals with trying to figure out who he really is.


I don't own Power Rangers, hope you enjoy!

I always felt like something was off, something just wasn't right. Now I know why. I'm not even who I thought I was. I'm not _what_ I thought I was.

It bugs me more now that I didn't question things before that I should have. Why don't I have a mother? Why do we look nothing alike? Why do some memories feel fuzzy? Why have I never been to a doctor? Why have I never heard my heart beat? Why don't I have any friends if I've been to school? Why do we rarely have visitors? What is my social security number?

 _Do_ I have a social security number? Am I even a person in the eyes of the government, or just to the few people that know I exist? I wonder if my finger prints are really unique like everyone else's? Could I get away with a crime?

I've always felt a bit disposable but now? Now I'm just a tool. A weapon. A science project. Something happens to me, you could just build a new one. They say I wouldn't be the same Mack, but really, if built the same and given the same memories, I'd be very similar at least.

Any feelings I've had, are they even real? Can I truly be happy, sad, angry? Can I really fall in love or is it some cheap imitation?

They say everyone has a soul. Do I, too, have a soul? If I die would I go to heaven or hell or would I reincarnate? Give me a new android body I could move right into just like a ghost possessing someone and I'm sure I'd be the same.

Do I need to shower like I always have? Do I really need sleep, to eat, to use the restroom? Did he put that much work into me to actually need it or did he just put it in to make me feel like a real person? A real boy? I'm just like Pinocchio. Is he pulling my strings as well?

I guess I can feel one thing, depression, so maybe I do have a soul? This type of thinking isn't like me, but then again, who is to say what is like me when I don't know who me is. Was I programmed to be depressed?

I feel like my mind is running a mile a minute and it doesn't help when "my dad" is trying to apologize and my friends are trying to comfort me. I guess that's nice and all, but I need time to process things, I might be a computer but apparently I don't have a fast processor. That is one positive though, all the computer and robot based puns.

"Mack, sorry to interrupt your moping but we need to get going," Ronny alerted.

That is one thing that hasn't changed, I still want to save people. I just keep second guessing everything.

I kick into gear once dad orders, "Get going!"

"Moltor and Flurious are working together for once," Dax analyzes.

We get knocked down, Rose yells, "The Megazord can't take more of this. We have to retreat for now."

"You guys go; I'm going to hold them off long enough for you to get away. I'll be right behind you."

"Mack, it's all of us together," Will insists.

I do have some feelings, I care about them and I'll admit, I do still care about my dad, or creator, or whatever I should call him. If I can protect my team a while longer, I will.

"Mack?" Ronny pulls my attention back and I press the button for the emergency release. They have no choice as they are rushed to safety away from the fight.

I'll push harder and keep going, if I can take even one of them down it's one less threat to the world. I am a weapon right? And a power ranger. It's my job to fight for people's safety. Next thing I know, the panels in the megazord are exploding and catching fire around me. The last thing I remember is a piece of shrapnel flying right towards me.

"Mack?" I hear voices all around me for a while but the only thing I can catch is my name. That is my name right?

"Sir, you need to take a break," Spencer says. Spencer? Oh, I'm probably being fixed. Did I get hurt? I can't feel anything but maybe my sensors are shut down.

"I can't Spencer. I'm not stopping until I get my son back."

Dad?

"Sir, you don't want to make a mistake. If you rush through this you could end up doing more harm than good. It took you a few years to build him, it could take more than a day to fix him with all the damage he took."

"I should have told him from the beginning what he was. Maybe then all of this wouldn't have happened. I just thought what I did would give him the best chance at a normal life."

"He's not a normal boy, he won't have a normal life. I think you need to accept that more than he does."

"I just wish I had better shown him how much I care about him. Tell him I love him more. Even if he is mad at me, or hates me, I just want him to know he's the most important thing to me."

"I bet you he knows, sir. Now come on, you need some sleep."

I know he cares; it's just been hard to have my whole world turned upside down. I wish I could comfort him but I can't bring my body to move. Maybe I'm not even attached to my body… I can't open my eyes though so I don't know.

"Mack, you're such an idiot. We all care about you; why did you have to try to sacrifice yourself?" Rose spoke. Mack wasn't sure how much time he sat listening to silence but now he heard Rose sniffling. Was she crying?

More silence until a clinking noise? Is that tools? Am I still being fixed? Will I ever actually run again or will my consciousness just float here? Wherever I am? Or if I do wake up, will I just be a head if they can't fix my body?

"Mr. Hartford, this system looks like it's been running for a while…" Rose spoke.

After a few moments of what sounds like keyboard ticking, Dad responds, "It seems to be his auditory functioning. If his processor is working he'd be able to hear us, but that took damage as well."

I can hear you just fine dad, I can't reach out to you though. My processor is not working right? Then how am I thinking? Maybe I do really have a soul.

Soon, my eyes finally flicker open. Of course, I _am_ just a head. I think I see Rose and dad in the side of my vision, but I still can't call out to them. I hear more clicking noises before Spencer approaches and notices my eyes are open.

"Oh," He mouths at me, 'Do you see me?' I manage to blink in response unable to move anything else.

"Sir, I don't wish to alarm you but it seems Master Mack is awake."

Scrambling, Rose and Dad move to see my face.

"Mack, are you really conscious? Blink once if yes."

I roll my eyes before blinking making Rose laugh, "That's Mack alright."

"Let me finish up this wiring and you should be able to talk again," Dad informs. A few minutes pass before he says, "Can you talk now?"

I focus on my mouth 'muscles'? 'parts'? whatever, and finally my mouth opens and grins, "Yeah."

"Oh, thank god."

"We managed to beat down Moltor's gang at least," Rose comments, "Once you are back up and running we can go after Flurious. No stupid risks this time though."

"I think we have different opinions on stupid risks."

"When you make us worry and I have to make this many fixes, it's a stupid risk," dad scolds looking back at the computer.

I roll my eyes again and just keep listening to them work as there isn't much else to do. Spencer brings a small television to keep me entertained. If I had to spend the rest of my life like this, just watching television for eternity, it wouldn't be that bad.

"I'm meeting the others soon, I'll tell them they can come see you," Rose left.

Leaving only dad and I in the room, I'm expecting some kind of talk. It's not like I can run away from it. I'm expecting more scolding, maybe even yelling, but none comes. He just works in silence. Not sure if I should start a conversation, I end up zoning out and dozing off.

"Mack?" My hair is being ruffled.

"Hmm?" My instincts tell me to stretch out before I remember I have nothing to stretch.

"I'm falling asleep so more repairs will have to wait until morning. I have your torso completed though, if you'd like to move yourself around with your arms I can attach it to your head. Also you don't have to keep it on if you don't want to, but I put long sleeves on you, as the material I make your skin with is currently running low so I saved it for your face and hands. You're just metal without it…"

I could tell he felt a bit awkward about everything but I could also tell he was trying to explain my anatomy more so I better understand what I am.

I just smile, "Thanks dad. Yeah, I'll crawl to my room," I chuckle feeling in higher spirits than before. Maybe he did something to my programming or maybe I am just starting to get past everything.

"I can carry you there if that's where you want to go," he grabbed my torso to start the attaching process. Wires plugged into others before my head was lifted up onto it.

"I have super strength, I can manage."

After a few more minutes I could move my hands and neck again, "Thanks."

"I think your legs took the most damage, so it may still be a few days."

"How long has it been? I'm not even sure what happened…"

He sat down next to me as I swung around to face him. "The others said you sent them out and that you'd be right behind. We weren't sure if you actually meant it or were going to keep fighting but next thing we know is the megazord was going down and you were inside it."

"I do remember some explosions but then I blacked out."

"You took a piece of metal to your face." Oh he sounds upset.

"Oh yeah…"

"The rangers have been trying to fight without you and we lost track of one of the jewels. The whole team has been a disaster."

"How long have I been down? If I'm judging time right, I was conscious yesterday and today."

"The battle was three days ago. I thought your processor had too much damage to fully function that soon."

"I was frustrated. I expected I couldn't move my body because I probably wasn't in it, but I couldn't even open my eyes or talk. Just hear and think."

"What all did you hear?"

"Not much, bits and pieces of things," I didn't want to seem like I was spying on anyone's conversations, though I didn't really have control over it anyway.

"Before I go, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I feel like it's my fault you are here."

"It's because of you I'm here in the first place. I'm sorry you have to put so much work into me. It's not like I can do it myself though."

"You're pretty smart, Mack, but you never were that interested in androids. You probably don't know the first thing about building one."

"I barely know about being one either. When this is all over, why don't you teach me?"

He looks surprised, "You want me to teach you about androids?"

"I should know about my body anyway, right? But maybe we can build one together."

"I have enough trouble taking care of one android child, I don't need another one," he jokes,  
"But I'll teach you what I can if you really want."

"I do. Thank you." He yawns so I insist, "Get some sleep. Sleep in if you can, don't worry about rushing back down here. I'm probably just going to be in my room. Maybe sleeping in as well."

"We need to be focusing on finding the jewels, your team needs you in one piece. But… I'll consider sleeping in just this once." He started heading off toward his room, "Have a good night, Mack."

"Night Dad. And thanks again, for everything," Our relationship might be a little rocky still but I think we can mend it as I figure things out. Now to focus my attention on finding the jewels…


End file.
